Healthy Guzman Pitches For A Revival

He Was Disappointed By His 1st Cub Season

MESA, Ariz. — Jose Guzman led the Cubs in strikeouts last year. He came within an out of pitching a no-hitter. And he held opposing hitters to a team-low .258 average.

For all of that, Guzman readily admits he had a disappointing year. He was 12-10 with a 4.34 earned-run average and won just one game the final six weeks of the season.

"I'm not really happy with the way I finished my season. I was expecting a better year," says Guzman, who had the unhappy task of replacing Cy Young winner Greg Maddux in the rotation.

"It was my first year with the team and in the league, and there was the Maddux thing. I'm not making excuses, but at least this year you know the league a little better and you feel more comfortable around your teammates."

Guzman, who turns 31 on April 9, is about to start his third consecutive season with a new manager and a new pitching coach.

In 1992, he was 16-11 with the Texas Rangers before joining manager Jim Lefebvre and pitching coach Billy Connors with the Cubs. Now he is working with manager Tom Trebelhorn and pitching coach Moe Drabowsky.

"That doesn't bother me," Guzman said. "I just try to be myself. I like to listen, but I do what I do. They might see something I don't, but I'm not going to change my mechanics just because I have a new pitching coach."

Guzman started last year with a flash and ended with a fizzle. He pitched seven perfect innings and 8 2/3 of no-hit ball before settling for a one-hitter in his National League debut against the Atlanta Braves April 6.

"If anybody tells you they don't care about the no-hitter, they're lying. I really wanted that no hitter," he said.

Guzman was so-so after that, struggling to a 7-7 record by the All-Star break. Then he won four straight to go 11-7 by Aug. 17 before his season fell apart.

On Sept. 9, Guzman suffered a season-ending shoulder injury during a fight against the Philadelphia Phillies. The injured shoulder was the same one he had surgery on in 1989, forcing him to miss the next two seasons.

Guzman says the shoulder is fine. He tested it throwing in January and hasn't experienced pain in spring training. He should get his first test under game conditions Thursday when he is scheduled to work one inning of an intrasquad game. "He's fine. I'm looking for him to win 16 to 18 games," Trebelhorn said.

Guzman is 78-72 lifetime, 29-18 his final year and a half with Texas. That spurt, after his 1989 shoulder surgery, was impressive enough to land him a four-year, $14-million deal with the Cubs.

Last year, Cubs starters were 58-62 with a 4.45 ERA. This year, the rotation is even more questionable.

Guzman is back with a year of NL experience. But Morgan still has back pains. The other three starters probably will be newcomer Willie Banks, rookie Steve Trachsel and struggling veteran Frank Castillo. Combined, they're 37-46 in the majors.

"I think our staff is pretty good," Guzman said. "The thing is, we don't have that much pressure because a lot of people aren't counting on us. We can go out there and be consistent and make people notice us without having to worry about pressure."